Three generations of Beyers: Yann-Leon, Marc and Leon. (Courtesy of leonbeyer.fr)
An introduction by Malcolm Jolley…
Marc Beyer calls himself “The White Knight of Fully Fruited Wines”, and the son of the man who gave his family its winery and reputation as one of Alsace’s greatest labels, Leon Beyer, takes his role seriously. “I am always looking for freshness,” Beyer went onto explain at luncheon at Toronto’s ICI Bistro put on recently by Beyer’s Ontario agent, RKW Wine Imports.
Leon Beyer wines have been available, and sought after, for long in Quebec and are just beginning to be made more available, though RKW, in Ontario. They break many stereotypes associated with the wines of the region, which can often come across as a little too sweet and flouncy. In particular, their Gewurtztraminer, which completely wowed the crowd*. “I hate Gewurtz when it tastes like it has come back from the hairdresser,” joked Marc Beyer, adding, “Gewurtz should be made to go with rich foods, like Homard a` l’Amoricaine.” Beyer champions early picking, and his whites, especially the Pinot Gris, show a mouth awaking zing, backed up by a big and round fruit flavour without much, if any, discernible sweetness.
Beyer’s charm and commitment to making full flavoured and food friendly is captured perfectly in the video made by Jamie below.
If you are having trouble viewing this video please click here.
*For a more detailed depiction of the delicious lunch and wines, see James Chatto’s post here.
Edinburgh-born/Toronto-based Sommelier, consultant, writer, judge, and educator Jamie Drummond is the Director of Programs/Editor of Good Food Revolution… And he was rather concerned about the high school kids getting in shot, but it all worked out!
